TELECOMMUNICATIONS company Digicel and the police on Friday dismissed as a rumour, reports that a woman who won $1 million at the company's 10th anniversary promotion on Tuesday had been found dead.
The story that has now been deemed a Good Friday hoax was being circulated via the Internet.
The woman was one of 11 persons who won a million-dollar prize at the Digicel event held in Kingston and broadcast live on television.
"The information is not true. Checks were made with police from several divisions and the reports are false," said Senior Superintendent James Forbes, head of the Police Community and Safety Branch.
Digicel also confirmed that contact had been made with the individual who was the target of the hoax.
"Digicel is aware of the rumours and takes this very seriously as the safety of our customers is our number one priority," said Jacqueline Burrell-Clarke, Public Relations Manager at Digicel, Jamaica.
"We have reached out to the customer in question and have verified that she is safe," said Burrell-Clarke.
Friday, news of the hoax caused police to issue a strong warning against those spreading the rumours.
However, Forbes said there would be no call by the police to insist that companies promoting events review how they announced their winners' identities.
The senior policeman said it was time for Jamaicans to move away from the past where people would allow criminals to restrict their movements.
"As a country we should not allow ourselves to be imprisoned by criminals," said Forbes.
